Headlines

Russia beats OHL in Game 3 of Super Series

by
Adam Kimelman
/ NHL.com

Nikita Zadorov made his return to junior hockey by assisting on three goals as Russia beat the Ontario Hockey League 5-2 on Thursday night in Oshawa, Ontario, in the third game of the Subway Super Series.

The Buffalo Sabres returned Zadorov to the London Knights of the OHL on Tuesday after he had one goal in seven NHL games, but the defenseman has yet to play for the Knights. He had 25 points and a plus-33 rating in 65 games with London last season, then was taken by the Sabres with the 16th pick in the 2013 NHL Draft.

Sergei Tolchinsky, Alexei Bereglazov, Ildar Shiksatdarov, Vladimir Butuzov and Vladimir Tkachyov scored goals and Ivan Nalimov made 41 saves as Russia won its first Super Series game after losing to the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League on Monday and Wednesday.

The OHL outshot Russia 43-22, including 20-6 in the second period. Chris Bigras had a pair of assists for the OHL, Kerby Rychel and Brock McGinn had goals and Matt Murray stopped 17 of 21 shots.

It was 2-2 in the second when OHL went on the power play after a delay of game call on Aleksander Mikulovich. But with one second left on penalty kill, Zadorov sent Shiksatdarov in alone on Murray and he scored between Murray's pads at 13:08.

Tolchinsky, a Carolina Hurricanes prospect, opened the scoring at 6:24 of the first period, and Bereglazov's power-play goal doubled the lead.

A goal by Rychel, a 2013 first-round pick (No. 19) by the Columbus Blue Jackets, got the OHL on the board at 8:09 of the second. Then 1:29 later McGinn, a Hurricanes 2012 draft pick, tied the game at 9:38. Bigras chipped the puck high off the glass in the OHL end and the Russia players stopped thinking the puck had gone out of play. Instead McGinn gloved it, dropped it on his stick and fired a shot from the right circle that beat Nalimov.

After Shiksatdorov scored, Butuzov and Tkachyov added goals in the third period for the final margin.

The fourth game of the Super Series will be Monday night in Sudbury, Ontario.